The Brave New World of Public Policy
Richard D. Lamm, Director of the University of Denver’s Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues, spoke on “The Brave New World of Public Policy.” He sees the economy of the 1990's as being one that…
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The Brave New World of Public Policy
Richard D. Lamm, Director of the University of Denver’s Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues, spoke on “The Brave New World of Public Policy.” He sees the economy of the 1990's as being one that cannot support the dreams of the 1960's. Mr. Lamm’s basic premise is that too much of the nation’s resources are going to elderly who do not need help, while too many children, now the poorest population segment, lack basic medical care and education. The elderly, he said, make up twelve percent of the population and receive approximately sixty percent of all federal entitlements, which is a larger amount than they paid into the system. Recently the New York Times quoted Mr. Lamm as saying, “We have to spend more money on the next generation, and less money on the last generation.” He described the “brave new world” as being one “where infinite government demands have run smack into finite resources.” The challenge is to “reconceptualize much of what government does and how we do it.” He called the necessary change in expectations “politically difficult, but conceptually possible.” Mr. Lamm is the former three-term Democratic governor of Colorado, serving 1975 to 1987. He has a law degree from the University of California. close